For example, in many cases, a banknote handling machine as a paper sheet handling apparatus which can be shared for use by two tellers is placed at a teller counter to save space. Patent Document 1 discloses a depositing and dispensing machine as an example of such an apparatus. The depositing and dispensing machine is an apparatus that is shared for use by two tellers, right and left, with the apparatus located between the two tellers, and is designed to be symmetric from side to side. Specifically, the apparatus includes operation units at right and left end portions of the casing. If the operation unit on the left side is operated, the teller on the left side can occupy the depositing and dispensing machine. On the other hand, if the operation unit on the right side is operated, the teller on the right side can occupy the depositing and dispensing machine. This structure improves the usability of the apparatus for both of the tellers on the right and left sides of the apparatus.
The depositing and dispensing machine includes, in its interior, a depositing unit into which banknotes are deposited, a recognition unit which performs a counting process and a recognition process for the banknotes, an escrow unit for temporarily holding the banknotes after the recognition process, a storage unit for storing the banknotes that have been held in the escrow unit after an operation for accepting the deposit of the banknotes, and a dispensing unit from which the banknotes fed from the storage unit are dispensed at the time of a dispensing process.
A depositing process of the depositing and dispensing machine goes through the following steps. That is, banknotes are deposited in the depositing unit first. Then, an operation for starting a predetermined depositing process is conducted. This operation allows the banknotes deposited in the depositing unit to be fed one by one, and the banknotes are subjected to a recognition process and a counting process in the recognition unit. The banknotes after the recognition process are held in the escrow unit. When the operation for accepting the deposit of the banknotes is conducted after all the banknotes deposited in the depositing unit have been fed and held in the escrow unit, the banknotes held in the escrow unit will be stored in the storage unit. This is the end of the depositing process.
In the depositing and dispensing machine of this type, the escrow unit may become full if a teller deposits a large amount of banknotes at a time. In this case, the following problems occur in the conventional depositing and dispensing machines. That is, if the escrow unit becomes full, it is not possible to continue the process and therefore the banknotes in the escrow unit need to be stored in the storage unit by, for example, performing a predetermined operation. Further, even if the banknotes are stored in the storage unit, once the storage unit becomes full, the teller has to open the casing so that the storage unit is exposed to the outside, and has to remove the banknotes stored in the storage unit.
As described, to process a large amount of banknotes by a device which has, in its casing, an escrow unit and a storage unit, i.e., a stacking unit for the banknotes, the teller has to do some operation with the apparatus every time the stacking unit becomes full. This operation is troublesome. Moreover, the process is interrupted every time the stacking unit becomes full. Thus, the process requires a longer time.
Such an interruption of the process may result in extending the waiting time of the clients, and moreover, may lead to a decrease in efficiency of work at the counter.
For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a banknote sorter having a receiving unit, a recognition unit, and a stacking unit for stacking the banknotes received in the receiving unit and subjected to a recognition process. In this apparatus, unlike the above-mentioned depositing and dispensing machine, the stacking unit is open toward the outside of the casing, and the banknotes stacked there can be easily removed by hand. Thus, to handle a large amount of banknotes by this apparatus, the banknotes stacked in the stacking unit are removed by hand before the stacking unit becomes full, or soon after the stacking unit becomes full. Therefore, interruption of the process can be avoided, or even if the process is interrupted, the process can be restarted easily, thereby reducing the interruption to a minimum.
This banknote sorter too is designed for use from both right and left sides of the apparatus. Specifically, for example, start/stop keys are located at the left end and the right end of the casing. Thus, tellers on both sides of the device can handle the apparatus. Further, the stacking unit is positioned at a generally central location of the apparatus, which makes it possible for the tellers on both sides of the apparatus to remove the banknotes. However, although the stacking unit can be locked when needed, the teller on the other side may erroneously take the banknotes stacked in the stacking unit because the stacked banknotes can be easily removed from both sides of the apparatus. Thus, in this banknote sorter, although the efficiency of the process can be improved because of the structure in which the stacking unit is open, it is impossible to completely prevent the tellers from erroneously removing the banknotes.
For example, Patent Document 3 discloses, as a depositing and dispensing machine shared for use by two tellers, an apparatus which indicates, in different colors, permission and prohibition of the deposition and removal of banknotes to each of the teller on the left side and the teller on the right side. These instructions in different colors may draw attention of the tellers, but it is impossible to completely prevent the tellers from erroneously removing the banknotes.
Further, for example, Patent Document 4 discloses a depositing and dispensing machine having a sensor which detects a direction of removal of banknotes when the banknotes are removed through a banknote outlet. If the teller on the other side erroneously removes the banknotes, an alarm is given based on the detection result, thereby alerting the teller that the banknotes are erroneously removed. However, depending on the direction of the removal of banknotes (e.g., if the banknotes are not removed in a diagonally right direction or a diagonally left direction, but are removed straight), it is not possible to determine whether the banknotes are erroneously removed or not from the detection by the sensor. Thus, it is impossible to completely prevent the tellers from erroneously removing the banknotes in this apparatus as well.